Dumpstaphunk isn't your daddy's funk band, says keyboard player Ivan Neville.
Yours or his.
Ivan is the son of Aaron Neville of the Neville Brothers, the aptly named "First Family of Funk" from New Orleans.
But Ivan advises: Don't come to Dumpstaphunk's show at the Hut on Monday expecting some sort of Neville Brothers cover band.
"People recognize the name, and that is good sometimes," Neville, 49, said in a phone interview from his Austin home. "At the same time, they might have some preconceived ideas on what they think we will sound like. We come from that school of music, but we do our own thing. Some straight-up, nasty, raw-dog funk stuff."
The band will make its Tucson debut as part of the Hut's Mardi Gras kickoff celebration.
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Dumpstaphunk is still in its musical infancy when compared with the Neville Brothers. The group made its first appearance at an engagement nearly six years ago at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Ivan was invited to perform at the annual event as a solo artist and wanted to bring something different to the table.
He called on some old buddies for the gig, including Tony Hall, a longtime bassist who has performed with the likes of Jewel, Trey Anastasio and Dave Matthews.
"We had been friends forever," Hall said of Neville in a recent phone interview. "I've known Ivan since I was 20 or something. I was filling in for George Porter of the Meters when I was young and ended up doing a gig with Ivan. We've been buddies ever since."
The rest of the players at that first Dumpstaphunk show were just as talented. Bassist Nick Daniels had played with Etta James, the Neville Brothers and Boz Scaggs; and drummer Raymond Webber had worked with Harry Connick Jr. and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Ivan even got his little cousin, Ian Neville, a longtime player with the Neville Brothers and Funky Meters, in on the action.
The band's raw style made it an instant hit. What was intended to be a one-time performance evolved into a full calendar of shows, putting Dumpstaphunk on stages at major festivals such as Bonnaroo and Wakarusa.
It got to the point where the group became more than just a side project for its members.
"Nick was the brave one," Hall recalled. "He told us he thought this band could make it and gave the Neville Brothers his notice. That put the pressure on the rest of the band. He is the one who stepped up to the plate."
As seasoned musicians who have played on major bills with other artists, Dumpstaphunk members are still getting used to going back to the beginning and paying their dues for fame.
They released an EP a couple of years back and are currently shopping around an album that they hope to have out by the end of the year.
"We are starting out fresh with this band," Neville said. "We are still building an audience. We want people to get the word out to let people know what we do. We want to present this brand of funk where people listen and go: 'Wow. Now that is funky. I thought I knew what funk was, but, damn, I was wrong.' "
If you go
• What: Dumpstaphunk
• When: Doors open at 8 p.m. Monday
• Where: The Hut, 305 N. Fourth Ave.
• Cost: $10. Part of the proceeds go toward the Hut's Bands for Breasts cause (see Page 4).
• More info: www.myspace.com/ thehuttucson
